The backyard
by ayane04
Summary: Leading from the kitchen door are two small stone steps where she sits, coffee in hand, looking out at his backyard. It is there that Sakura thinks about how she now spends her weekends at Sasuke's. [SasuSaku drabbles]
1. The backyard

_29th October 2016_

A/N: To my bestie, with love.

 **The backyard**

* * *

Hot steam wafted up from a mug of black coffee. She watched it dissipate into the crisp morning (almost noon) air. The clouds drifted slowly against the pastel blue sky. She cupped her mug, the letters "nobody knows I'm gay" printed on it. She let out a quiet snort of laughter. People have always wondered if Sasuke swung that way, since he showed little to no interest in women as a teenager – he didn't exactly show much now either, but he was comfortable with her, for some reason.

She took a small sip and almost let out a cry of pain – it was scalding hot. She should have known, with the steam and all-

"You do realise that's hot, right?"

Sakura looked up to see Sasuke standing over her, holding a mug of coffee as well. He looked as he always did, messy hair sticking up on the end, a plain grey shirt (probably with the Uchiha emblem on the back) and loose drawstring pants. Barefoot, she noticed. The floor must have been cleaned yesterday, she thought, amused.

"I'm aware, thanks," she said sarcastically, but a smile tugging at her lips.

Sasuke took his place next to her, tucking his feet into his outdoor flip-flops in the process. And there they sat, on those two steps from the kitchen of the house to the little backyard that had a small shed and grass that looked like it was overdue for some trimming.

This was what they did, on days when she spent the night over at his, and she would wake up, her eyes hazy. She'd see sunlight peeking through the curtains, and hear the muffled sounds of people walking and talking on the streets below. She'd wake up to him sleeping next to her, the curves of his muscled shoulders that she knows so well she can memorise where all the lines start and end. Then she'd reach out and trace his tattoo with her fingers, gently so she won't wake him up. But when she would slowly edge her arm over his waist, he would catch her arm with his and pull her closer to him, so that her body was touching his. He'd let her do all this, because it was Sakura, not anyone else.

"So what are your plans for today then?" He asked, sipping his black coffee slowly. Gracefully. She marveled at how anything Sasuke did looked effortless.

She gave a tiny shrug of shoulders. "I'm not sure… probably just go home and do a bit of studying."

"Fair enough." He said no more after this, but Sakura didn't mind. Most of the time, Sasuke didn't have much to say. That didn't mean he wasn't enjoying her company though; she'd learnt this after many years of being his teammate, his enemy, then his teammate again.

They sat, making small talk about what they'd do this weekend. Her pink hair flowing slightly in the wind, his gentle but firm voice lifting through the occasional sound of the rushing trains that passed the backyard of his house.

This was how they spent their weekends, sitting on the steps to the backyard of his house, when the sun was out and the sky was clear, with mugs of black coffee, in comfortable silence. Sakura knew that this wasn't what she had imagined a life with Sasuke would potentially be like, but for now this was enough. She didn't want to think about the future like that anymore, it was tiring and stressful and often caused her unnecessary pain. Sasuke was going to be Sasuke – he is who he is.

She turned to him and smiled. "Thank you for the coffee."

He knew she meant the night she spent at his as well, and the many nights before that. He knew she meant the times he'd pulled her close, the times he wrapped his arm around her when they slept, the times he'd rubbed her arm comfortingly when she had bad dreams. He had a fair few of those himself, and she would be the one to stroke his arm, whispering that it was all going to be okay.

"No problem."

Next weekend, if the weather was good, they'd be at the steps again. And hopefully, the weekends after that, too.

\- fin -


	2. Concert

_1st November 2016_

A/N Based on real experiences about someone I know who is in many ways, similar to Sasuke. To my bestie, with love.

Concert

* * *

It was noisy and crowded that night in Camden, where shops selling miscellaneous Goth-looking goods lined the road down to the river. People milled in and out of shops, spilling onto streets. Sakura had never been here before, but it was both exciting and slightly unnerving at the same time. She barely had time to look at everything; she was already late and was trying to navigate her way through people whilst holding up her iPhone for directions.

She pulled up her infinity scarf, so that it reached her nose – someone walking in front of her was smoking, typical. As a medic-nin, Sakura knew exactly what sort of damage smoking did to the body, and she was having none of that second-hand smoke if she could help it.

There they were. Naruto and Shikamaru stood near the entrance of the food market Camden was so well known for. He wore a bright orange t-shirt; Shikamaru went with black, his hair tied back into his signature high ponytail.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto called out excitedly. Sakura broke into a run and wrapped Naruto into a big bear hug. He returned the hug with enthusiasm. She giggled. Naruto always had a way of making her feel better.

"Hey, Shikamaru."

"What's up Sakura?" Shikamaru gave a lazy wave, but grinned.

* * *

And so they had dinner at the food market, chatting about Naruto's relationship with Hinata, his plans to steal Kakashi's mask, Ino's crush on Sai, and so on. The market had so many choices, from Korean burritos to steak and fries, to Taiwanese hot rice dishes. Sakura was mesmerised by all, but as soon as she saw mac'n cheese, there was no question. As they stood there, munching on their dinner, Sakura suddenly thought about Sasuke, and whether he'd remembered to eat before coming. She hoped he did, despite all the work he was buried under lately.

As they lined up for the concert, Sakura's phone buzzed. It was Sasuke.

"He'll be here in about 20 minutes," said Sakura. They stood at the side of the queue into the concert venue, waiting.

"That's alright! We're waiting anyways! So I was saying Shikamaru, there really is no way around it, the rasengan is the best move you can use in that situation…"

She was no longer paying attention to the other two. Her stomach lurched. That mac'n cheese was heavier than she thought (but of course, it was mac'n cheese). Or maybe it was to do with the fact that she and Sasuke hadn't seen each other in person for almost over two months now. Not after she'd confessed to him again, and he'd rejected her, again. She was never going to be more than anything but a friend, possibly a close friend. But a friend she remained. She felt trepidation and anticipation at the same time. The thought of seeing him thrilled her, and yet she dreaded it too.

"Hey."

He was here, all of him. Sakura couldn't help but notice that he looked even better than she'd remembered. He always did, every time. Donning a black long coat, jeans and loafers, his hair slightly longer, she observed. And then, she smiled.

* * *

It was getting extremely hot and cramped now, as a full-thrown concert should be. Sakura knew all the lyrics to this song; it was one of her favourites.

 _Cause you and I we're good together_

 _Oh, you always get me feelin' better_

She was singing, her mouth dry, her lips in a wide smile as she belted out the words. Then, her world burst into a sky of flying birds.

It was the first time she saw confetti thrown at a concert. Jubilated, she turned to Sasuke, only to find that he was almost frowning, his hands stuck in his pockets, not even rocking to the music.

Sakura tried not to let it get to her. Maybe he was simply feeling the heat, and Sakura knew Sasuke didn't much like being squashed with lots of other people, nor was this the kind of music he was into. But he'd agreed to come, and she thought he knew what he'd gotten himself into.

It was fine, she thought. But the idea that Sasuke wasn't enjoying himself bothered her, and didn't sit well with her.

* * *

"That was quite hot in there wasn't it? And squishy!" Sakura piped up cheerfully. She was not going to let his bad mood ruin her own.

"Hn. It was."

Doors of their train opened, and they fell into the first empty seats, their legs giving out after hours of standing.

After a moment of silence, Sakura plunged in. "By the way, I've already planned for you to come to my graduation." She turned to him with a playful grin.

Graduation was in December, after having finally finished a year of studies and research for her specialist degree in gynecology. To get to the best positions at the hospital, there were necessary qualifications for specialist streams. She'd of course been hoping Sasuke could make it, but had no false hopes about him even coming. It didn't seem like the kind of thing he'd make an effort to come to. Most likely he'd say something like 'we'll see if I have time then' or something along those lines-

"Sure. I'll take time off."

Sakura felt her chest swell. How wonderful it was to be able to feel this much over something as small as that, she thought.

And from that moment on, they fell back into their usual way of conversation; him stoically poking her nose, her belly button, her forehead; her punching his arm lightly and laughing widely.

The concert was amazing, but the journey home was even better.


	3. Hot chocolate (just like old times)

_5th November 2016_

A/N For every drop of disappointment, you show affection like that and it starts all over again. Cycles and cycles of I don't know how you feel about me, because I know you're not honest with me - then I break into a million pieces, like glass shattering.

To my bestie, with love.

Hot chocolate (just like old times)

* * *

Combing her hair awkwardly, Sakura positioned the curler and tried the first strands of pink on the right side of face. Securely clip, curl up in sideways motion, hold for 5 to 8 seconds, then unclip and release.

She sighed. It was looking a bit weird, but as she added on a bit of nice-smelling hair gel to try and hold her curls in place, she admitted that at least her hair now had a bit more volume than it normally did.

Sitting down on her bed, her mind full of thoughts about how this was probably putting way too much effort into something that she knew probably meant way less to Sasuke than it did for her, Sakura put the hair curler to rest.

He'd messaged her earlier this week all of a sudden, asking if she would "fancy a bite on Sat eve" because he knew a good and cheap katsu curry place. Sakura didn't know what to make of it, but it did make her look forward to her Saturday much more than she usually did. Which led to her (sort of) impulsively buying a hair curler because she really did need a bit of a new look, and (sort of) planning out her outfit a day before.

In her defense, she liked dressing up. It was probably the best part about going for night out, with Sasuke or not. Making sure all her Saturday chores were done, she began her prep at 5pm, even though she didn't have to actually leave the house until two hours later.

* * *

It turned out Sakura didn't really need two hours, so she brought out the Christmas tree under her bed and together with Ino, they set to work putting Christmas décor up. It was only November, but the weather was rapidly getting more reminiscent of what it usually was around this time of the year – very cold, windy and short hours of daylight.

"It looks bit on the skinny side, but otherwise pretty fantastic!" Sakura took a step back, clapping her hands happily.

"It does! When'd you have to be out for your date with Sasuke?" Ino asked rather slyly. Sakura blushed slightly.

"It's not a date, Pig. It's just a little dinner at some cheap katsu curry place."

"If you say so." Ino winked. Then when Sakura had put on her coat and picked up her bag, Ino shooed her out of the house.

* * *

"Katsu curry is good here. And it's cheap." Sasuke said bluntly when they were both browsing the menu. Their table was near the enttrance door, and because this place was so popular, every time someone came in, cold drafts of wind would hit Sakura's face. She wrapped her infinity scarf back around her neck.

"I think udon is good with me."

"Hn. Alright."

They ate in silence, punctuated by gentle slurping sounds from Sakura eating her tempura udon, and the noise that plastic chopsticks make when it hits china plates – Sasuke ordered katsu curry as he had planned. He never really did deviate from a plan, after all, Sakura mused as she watched him out of the corner of her eye.

He'd trimmed his hair a bit, even though she said last time that she liked his hair longer. He hadn't shaved though, even though she said he should if he was going to get his hair cut anyways.

As always, Sasuke never did listen to her much, she smiled to herself.

* * *

They decided to get some dessert, because dinner wasn't enough.

He said he knew a café that did good cakes, to Sakura's surprise. She didn't think Sasuke liked cake, in all honesty. And a good café it was too, definitely more of her thing than his, she thought appreciatively as they stepped into its threshold.

It was a lovely, old-fashioned little café with two floors of seating. On the first floor, a man played the piano for a bit of live music. The numerous types of cakes, fruit tarts, chocolate eclairs and other sweet goodness were laid out behind the window display. A kindly old woman stood near the cashier and told them there was more seating upstairs, so upstairs they went.

On the second floor, there were rather strange looking paintings all around the pale yellowish walls, and some handwritten writings in black around certain corners. Some of these writings were as long as an answer to an essay question in an exam; others were short quirky quotes.

One caught Sakura's eye; next to the CCTV camera in the room it read:

 _"This little eye, so small and handy for catching people's little behaviours. Except for catching the person who shot Kennedy. That was a blink of an eye."_

* * *

They both ordered a hot chocolate, and it came, with a bit of cream and chocolate shavings on top. _Just like old times_ , she thought as she sipped her glass. Having hot chocolate after a meal as dessert was one of those things they used to do when they were closer; when they were actually da-

"So you like this place then?"

Sasuke's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Yes. It's lovely," Sakura said simply.

And then, it was good conversation. They found common ground in work, in politics, in movies or shows they watched; Sakura told him about how her sister Sayaka was pregnant, and Sasuke told her about how he'd been called to do jury duty for the Hokage.

Both their hot chocolates were finished by now. It was getting late, and Sasuke said he was tired, so they headed off home.

On their way to the station, Sakura mentioned she'd tried to curl her hair with the new hair curler she'd bought. She wasn't sure if the hair curler had done the effect that she'd expected, and wondered if the curls were working on her.

"Yeah, I think it does work. You look pretty," Sasuke said quietly as they hurried through the crowds in the chilly weather.

Even though they were moving so quickly, Sakura heard his every word like it was in slow motion, and it was because she wanted to savour it, wanted to store it in her mind so that she could bring out this memory again and remember that Sasuke was capable of saying nice things like that, and because he didn't say nice things often, when he did he truly meant it. He didn't just say these things to anyone.

It wasn't like anything she'd expected tonight, but she also knew her expectations were this time around, disproportionate to what she knew to be the truth. Life often didn't live up to expectations, but that didn't mean it wasn't good.

And tonight, Sasuke had made it good.

\- fin -

A/N There's some connection between each little drabble - if you haven't noticed already. Till next chapter x


	4. Graduation

_27th December 2016_

You're the Milky Way and I'm the black hole, sucking up everything till there's nothing left.

To my bestie, with love.

Graduation

* * *

Pushing her phone into her bag, she stood up and followed the rest of the girls in front. It was time.

Sakura was nervous. She tried to adjust her gown again, hoping it wasn't lopsided at the back. She held tightly onto her name card. This was the card from which the man on stage was going to read her name as she crossed the stage.

"Haruno Sakura," he read. Shaking slightly, she walked forwards and shook hands with the Provost, who smiled and said congratulations. Then, she descended the stage.

It was done – she had graduated, finally.

* * *

Crowds of graduates and their families milled about on Kingsway, and round the corners to the entrance of Peacock Theatre where her graduation ceremony was held. Even though she was only wearing heels of an inch or so, she could feel her ankle getting sore – injuries always got in the way of things, she thought a little grumpily.

Sakura carried her graduation hat and various bits and bobs as she searched for her parents, who had told her they'd be waiting outside the Theatre. Where were they? Suddenly, her phone buzzed.

"Hey. I'm here." Sasuke's short message made her heart thud louder than when she was on stage. He was here already. Not wanting to keep him waiting, she searched almost frantically, phone in hand and then all of a sudden, as if he had materialised from thin air, he was in front of her, stoic but a smile tugged at his lips, obviously at the sight of her in her graduation gown. The usual black coat, leather shoulder bag. He was suited up, and Sakura had a sudden flashback of that one morning, months ago, when she was still snuggled up in his bed, watching him button up his shirt and get dressed for work. He always looked good in a suit.

Sakura threw her arms around him, laughing. "Sasuke-kun!"

Her cousin Nakano and his wife had found her parents standing on the street opposite the entrance. Her family and Sasuke exchanged niceties but Sakura was already internally fretting about what to do next. Reception only allowed guests with a ticket, and only her and her parents had been able to get tickets. She couldn't leave her cousin and his wife, much less Sasuke out in the cold.

Mr. Haruno then suggested they should go to dinner now, instead of the reception. Even though she had previously said it should be family only, Mrs. Haruno urged Sakura to invite Sasuke to dinner, as if he was part of the family... Sakura pushed that thought out of her head. That would just get her hopes up, and that was no good.

He agreed, to her much surprise.

* * *

Sakura felt like she was living a dream. He was talking to her mother, politely but with a genuine pleasantness that was so rare of Sasuke. Every time Sakura looked over at her mother talking to Sasuke, she felt light-headed with elation. He was getting on well with her family. She tried not to read into it too much right now, but her heart was soaring.

Tapas proved delicious. Knives and forks clinked as the little food dishes were passed around so everyone could have a try of everything.

"Here's your graduation present, Sakura-chan," Yuna, her cousin's wife said. It was a giant stuff toy of Katsuyu. Sakura squealed.

"Thank you so much Yuna-san! I've been meaning to get it for a long time!" She exclaimed happily, hugging the stuff toy.

"Your Christmas present." Sasuke placed a wrapped present on the table in front of her. The wrapping paper featured horses pulling a carriage. It even had a red party bow on top. Sasuke did well, she thought. Even though she already knew what he had gotten her (he had asked her beforehand, as this was how Sasuke liked to give presents), she was nonetheless thrilled that Sasuke had pulled through in the end.

Sakura donned the fluffy sheepskin earmuffs for the rest of the night.

* * *

It was time to go home. Sakura had wanted a little bit of time to talk to Sasuke in private before they parted ways until January next year, but there was no opportunity; her parents wanted to leave quickly as it was cold, and it seemed that Sasuke was thinking the same. She didn't want to keep him around if he didn't want to be.

They hugged goodbye (Sakura's was a tight embrace; Sasuke's was a rather rigid patting on the back).

"Have a good Christmas, Sasuke-kun." She said with a sad smile. It was always hard to see him leave. She wouldn't see him for another two, or even three weeks.

"Merry Christmas. See you." He said, but his expression had softened slightly. Green eyes met black.

Then, he was gone.

-fin-

* * *

A/N Will post the prequel, pre-graduation sometime early January. Till next time! x


	5. Elf

_8th January 2017_

A/N So let go, and jump in, oh well whatcha waiting for? It's alright, cause there's beauty in the breakdown.

To my bestie, with love.

Elf

* * *

They sat next to each other in the cinema, each with a mini mince pie and a cup of delicious-smelling mulled wine. The movie was about to start, but Sakura kept glancing over at Sasuke. This whole movie date thing in itself was uncharacteristic of Sasuke, considering what he'd said previously many times.

 _I like you, I just don't love you._

Her heart couldn't take much more, she told herself, multiple times now. And yet here she was, coming back for more. Maybe this time things will be different? Then again, who was she kidding? It was Sasuke, after all.

She took a bite of mince pie, trying not to feel down before the Christmas movie _Elf_ had even started. At least it wasn't _Love Actually_ , which boded more emotional baggage between them, and would not have been a good idea to watch together.

* * *

After the movie, both Sakura and Sasuke were in particularly good spirit. Even Sasuke was smiling at the Christmas jokes. They thought about having dinner together, but neither of them were very hungry because of the snacking they did in the cinema, so Sakura suggested taking a walk instead.

And so they walked to Trafalgar Square. It was busy, as per usual. Sakura felt nervous. There were so many things she wanted to say to him, but she couldn't quite get the words out of her mouth.

"Your phone call last night." Sasuke spoke up. "Were you serious?"

Sakura had called him the night before, after having had three glasses of wine, or more. Struggling, as always, between admonishing herself for letting him do this to her because he didn't love her, and yet wanting him all the same, she'd asked him for sex.

"I…" She grasped for the words she wanted to say, because she had no idea what she wanted.

She swallowed. "Yes."

Sasuke didn't respond. He had the same impenetrable look about him whenever someone asked him something difficult and uncomfortable.

"You're going to get hurt again."

"I won't." Sakura met his eyes with hers, willing herself to believe that it would be worth it, even if she did get hurt.

Sasuke turned away, then said, "you will. I know you cried."

"When?"

"Last time we hooked up. You were crying in the morning."

Sakura felt tears welling up in her eyes. She didn't even think he'd noticed. Just as well when you think Sasuke didn't give a shit, he surprises you. It was always like this with him. Up and down, hot and cold, a dizzying rollercoaster, the kind that you take when you wanted a really fantastic thrill, but ended up wanting to throw up inbetween, and finish the ride not quite sure how you felt about the whole experience.

Suddenly, he pulled her towards him, pressing her head into his chest. Sakura dug her face into his black coat. This was his way of comforting her, she knew. He was so hard to hate.

"Just once," she whispered.

"For Christmas."

* * *

She woke up in the morning to his arm in her face. Sasuke liked to sleep on his stomach, which she couldn't understand to be comfortable, because… well because she had boobs and he didn't, she supposed.

Rubbing her eyes, she leaned over to get a bit of warmth from him. He always radiated much more body heat than she did.

"Hmpph…?" He made a muffled kind of noise from his pillow. Everything about Sasuke was gorgeous, from his messy blue-black hair, to his muscled, tattooed arms, to his sculpted shoulder and back. She wondered how just the fact that waking up next to someone you love could make you feel so good.

That morning, he made her scrambled eggs on toast, her favourite. As they sat side by side, eating breakfast and watching TV, she smiled to herself. This was more than what she had asked for from Santa.

-fin-

Hope you liked! x


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